After Middle School,Before College
by The Sacred and Profane
Summary: Reno's journey through high school from freshman year to his graduation. ReTi AU oneshot for KCVII.


After Middle School, Before College

AN: I own nothing in this story. This is for KCVII so enjoy! Please R&R.

So here I am, second week of my first year of high school. Snoresville for the most part. But there are some pretty cool teachers, like Mr. Highwind, so it's not all a waste. Today in advisory we're going through the roll as usual when I notice someone enter the class. Not just a someone but a girl.

She had long brown hair and pale skin, kind of like mine but a little healthier looking. Her curves were just beginning to develop, I noticed. What can I say, I'm a guy. Anyway, then she turned her face a little. Big brown eyes looked around the room and passed over me before returning to the teacher.

"Class, this is Tifa Lockhart, she's just transferred from Junon. Please make her feel welcome," Mr. Valentine said. But he looked like he had forgotten something which explained why he spoke up a moment later. "Oh yes and if someone would like to show Ms. Lockhart around the school, raise your hand now."

I raised my hand and looked around. No one else had volunteered.

"Reno...okay, Ms. Lockhart, please take a seat beside him and we'll continue with roll."

The girl, or Tifa as I'll be referring to her from now on, walked up to me with a hesitant look on her face. I gave her my best smile and gestured to the seat next to me.

"Don't worry, I won't bite." That caused her to smile a little and she nodded.

"Thanks for showing me around. I'm sorry if it messes up any plans you had..." she said. Her voice was soft and not at all annoying like Yuffie Kisaragi's. I'd rather listen to geese shrieking than hearing her blab.

"No problem Tifa. I don't like to brag but I don't really have a lot of friends." I held out my hand to her and she shook it, chuckling a little.

"Think I could be your friend?"

"Why not?"

After Mr. Valentine's advisory and a few other classes, lunch had arrived. After chowing down on some excellent mystery meat, I showed Tifa around. She opened up a little more and I found out that she wasn't really shy, just nervous about making a good first impression.

"Don't worry about that, Teef, you're doing great." Her nose wrinkled cutely then and she looked questioningly at me.

"Teef?"

"Yep, it's your nickname, courtesy of yours truly. You can give me one if you like," I said. Tifa looked pensive for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, Re should do nicely for you."

"I like it. You know I think school will be more interesting with you here." Her cheeks reddened a little bit at that but she nodded.

"Thanks...so anything else you want to show me?" I held out my hand to her and waved my arm behind me.

"Whatever you want to see."

And that was how it started.

When I met Tifa Lockhart and we became friends.

* * *

By sophomore year Tifa and I had hung out a lot. I introduced her to my other friends Elena, Tseng, and Rude. But something was on the horizon. Something that I was actually kind of nervous about: the homecoming dance. It wasn't the dance itself that was making me nervous.

I wanted to ask Tifa to be my date. I decided to ask her after school today. And so after another somewhat normal day I met Tifa at our usual spot: the park nearby. She was sitting on a swing, twisting around and around before letting go and spinning back.

"Hey Teef, how was your day?" She gave me a wide smile.

"Wonderful...Cloud asked me to go to homecoming with him!"

"Really? Didn't know Strife had it in him," I said, trying to sound as normal as possible. But Tifa was good at reading me. Her smile lessened a bit and she stared into my eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing...just had a kind of boring day and they were out of hot dogs today at lunch."

"You're lying..." Tifa said softly. I gave a sigh then and rubbed the back of my head.

"Can't get anything past you can I? Alright, there's this girl I wanted to ask to homecoming but she already has a date." She got off the swing then and put a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry...but I'm sure you'll find someone else. I mean you're funny, stylish, and a great person."

"You're gonna make me blush if you don't stop," I said. Tifa laughed and sat back down on her swing.

"Alright, no more of that. Now are you going to stand there all day or are you going to give me a push?"

I rolled my eyes at her. Tifa was just crazy about swings for some reason but she pouted and I couldn't resist. I wondered if I ever would be able to.

* * *

A year soon passed, the homecoming dance which I went to with Elena all the while watching Strife dance with the girl I wanted to go with. I never knew what Hell was like but after this year I have a pretty damn good idea.

We still hung out of course but less and less, Tifa often going over to Cloud's instead. I was becoming an afterthought.

But all that changed one spring night.

I was just laying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling and trying to think up a good prank to pull on Laney when my cell phone rang. Answering it, I heard Tifa's sobs on the other end.

"Reno....Cloud he..."

"What did he do?"

"He...cheated on me...please could you meet me....at our spot?"

"I'll be there Tifa."

"Thank you...." Then the line went dead and my fist clenched. I was going to break that bastard's face the next time I saw him. But now wasn't the time for revenge.

She needed me.

The park was deathly quiet as I made my way to the swing set, Tifa's form soon becoming apparent. She was sobbing as I approached, her arms wrapped tight around her slim frame, shivering thanks to the cold breeze.

"Tifa, I'm sorry..." She turned at the sound of my voice and ran towards me, wrapping me in a tight embrace. She didn't talk but cried even harder into my chest. And all I could do was hold her and rub her back. "I'm sorry he hurt you."

Her sobs were growing less frequent by this point and she broke apart enough to look up at me.

"Re...thanks for being here for me..." I nodded and hugged her tightly.

"I'll always be here for you Tifa," I whispered. She gave me a shaky smile then and relaxed a bit more but still didn't break apart. I looked up and saw two shooting stars. Tifa noticed them as well and I smiled down at her.

"Are you going to make a wish?" She just shook her head and pressed close once more.

The next few weeks Tifa was still depressed and nothing I could do seemed to drag her out of it. And then, one day, she saw Cloud pass by with Aerith on his arm during lunch. Tifa stood up to leave then but I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't Teef, he's not worth any more of your tears." But she shrugged off my hand and left the cafeteria. I turned to look at Elena and she nodded, getting up and following after Tifa. I heard Cloud laugh at some joke Aerith had told him and I stood up, fist clenching.

Walking up to him, I glared at Cloud.

"What do you wa- but my fist pounded into his face and sent him to the ground.

"I should break something for what you did to Tifa but I'm not a heartless bastard like you are." I then gave him the finger and walked away, the crowd that had gathered breaking apart when I got close to them.

She found me at our usual spot sitting in one of the swings, feet kicking at the dirt slowly. Approaching me from the left, she stopped a few feet away from me.

"I heard about what you did to Cloud," she whispered.

"He deserved it," I replied. "So are you still sad?" I looked over at her but she had vanished. Before I could call out her name however I felt a pair of hands push me from behind.

"Yeah...but I'm getting over it. There's someone else...in fact I feel like I've always been attracted to him ever since we met." She continued to push me as she confessed, the metal chains in my hands cooling my skin.

"Is that so?" I reply, my voice low. Tifa stopped me then and wraps her arms around my neck.

"Yeah it is..." she whispered, turning me around and pressing her forehead against mine.

"Tifa...I'm going to count to ten....and then I'm going to start kissing you. If you don't want me to then you're just going to have to stop me." I started counting, reaching eight in my head. "Nine..."

"Ten..." Tifa finished before she kissed me full on the lips.

We had crossed a line.

But as I broke apart from her and gazed into her eyes she didn't seem to care.

So I kissed her again.

* * *

It was the night of our graduation party and a number of my fellow classmates had decided to get drunk and dance the night away. I wasn't one of them. Instead I was at the park nearby, lying on my back on one of the tiny slopes and staring up at the stars.

I heard someone approaching and looked over to my right. Tifa was walking towards me, a smile on her pretty face.

"Care to watch the stars?" She nodded and lay beside me, cuddling close as I wrapped my arms around her. A shooting star shot by overhead and I looked down at Tifa. "Did you make a wish?"

"No...I've got everything I could ever want right here." She was silent for a moment and she kissed me. After breaking apart, she looked into my eyes. "What did you wish for?"

"Nothing. All I need is next to me. Well maybe I asked for some goggles. Don't you think I'd look good in some?" Tifa laughed at my wish and shook her head.

"I think you'd look silly." I made a pained expression and placed her hand on my heart.

"You feel that? You just broke my heart," I said, groaning in fake agony.

"Well I'll just have to put it back together again, won't I?" I nodded and she kissed me again.

I'm starting to think I'll never get tired of them.


End file.
